Strictly Come Dancing | 2019

No idea, I am sure they always have stand by contestants ready for cases such as this.

On a side note, it has been announced that Elstree Studios where Strictly is produced are turning the vacant former Big Brother site into two brand new "Super Stages" which will be opened next year.

They will be similar in size to the George Lucas Stages, where in Stage 2 Strictly is produced.

https://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/tech/site-of-big-brother-house-to-become-two-super-stages/5142732.article

http://www.elstreestudios.co.uk/2019/09/elstree-studios-build-2-new-stages/

Will see if they get built this time. After the C4 series ended they had similar plans for the space infront of the house which never came to fruition.

Auntie Beeb isn't very good at quickly and consistently updating the various parts of the Strictly website.

Various elements showing/mentioning Jamie Laing as a contestant have not been removed and/or rewritten to reflect his withdrawal.

Oti Mabuse's profile now proudly states that she's partnered with Kelvin Fletcher, but there's still no actual profile section for him anywhere.

The link and heading for pro dancer Karen's profile now reflects her reversion to her maiden surname of Hauer, but within the profile article itself is at least one usage of "Karen Clifton" (amongst several other such inconsistencies regarding her surname across the website as a whole).

A short video showing each celeb in turn magically transforming from their own everyday attire into sparkly Strictly outfits has been edited to only show 14 celebs in total (omiting Jamie, obv). I hope that a belatedly-filmed equivalent sequence with Kelvin will ultimately be spliced-in.

One part of the website even reads as if both Jamie AND Oti have left the competition!

Come on, Beeb, sort it aahhtt!

It Takes Two is airing on BBC1 for its first two weeks at 5.15pm before returning to BBC2, presumably as a result of the World Athletics Championships likely airing on BBC2.

Big fan of Motsi.

Somebody scheduling at the BBC has really failed to grasp what makes Pointless (and before that the weakest link) so successful in that slot.

I thought it was called It Takes Two because it was a BBC Two companion show.

It Takes One wouldn't really work though. MOTD2 still annoys me - must be nearly a decade since it moved to BBC1.

The ending of the new Strictly titles is a nod to
the opening from the early 2000s.

A small change to the live shows now for 2019 is that when Tess introduces each contestant before their dance, we do not see them appear before camera. In previous years, they would be standing on the balcony, smiling into camera before the small video package of their week's training would be shown.

Also, was it just me, or the usual weekly comic bit between Tess and Claudia has been axed? I am sure there was none during this live show, or did I miss it?

I think comic is stretching it somewhat.